Mars
The first planet to be colonized by humans, Mars is the fourth planet around the star Sol, and was the first planet to undergo terraforming in the Human Imperium. Its primary exports are art, data, education, financial implements, franchises, insurance, research, and terraforming expertise. The planet also has its own spaceship infrastructure, on the moon Phobos. Geography The nature of its transformation (through paraterraforming, the transformation of certain sectors one at a time) gave the Red Planet its modern look, and its general sense of society. Aside from the obvious changes of habitability, Mars now has three moons, a much enlarged Phobos and Deimos and a third known as Harmonia; all three are the result of multiple asteroids being brought in to control the tides. Before greenhouse gases were stabilized in the atmosphere and a magnetic shield set up around the planet in the late 35th Century to keep in the heat, each House or base had their own ecosystem; the resulting merger meant that Mars developed a set of biomes through more natural means rather than selective placement of stock. Further complicating this are those bases which insist on maintaining their own biomes; these ecosystems are, for the most part, not integrated with the planet, and it is the express desire of the inhabitants that they remain so. Mars' natural axial tilt of 25º and its roughly 24-hour day are comfortable for humans, animals, and plants alike; what becomes more troublesome for everyone is the length of the year, which about double that of the Earth. Plant and animal species are thus altered so as to tolerate these conditions. Political Geography The great Houses of Mars–once independent colonies with their own base design, giant domed biomes in the lowlands–became the basis for the first cities; once terraforming was complete, others followed. Mars is now home to some fifty-odd Houses, plus smaller colonies and wildlife preserves; each remains proud of its independence, but friendly with its neighbours after millennia of mutual cooperation to terraform and colonize the planet. There were a few wares, of course, but these settled down fairly quickly, and in 2519 the Olympus Convention took place (at the base of Olympus Mons), marking the formation of the Arean League. Not only did this mark Mars coming together fully for the first time, it was also the first time a member of what would become the Human Imperium declared itself as independent from the ancestral Earth. Mars is set up as a network of interlocking governments for different situations, without a technical leader per se for the whole planet; instead, different inter- and intra-House organizations keep the planet in check and maintain the various systems. Mars is a socialist meritocracy; while everyone is provided with the basics, improving one’s status through education, invention, or other means not only improves one’s wealth but also one’s influence, and how likely one is to have a say in particular areas of government. Crisis management is done by the Emergency Senate, an inter-House body who occasionally select a Dictator (in the old Roman sense) to lead the planet in severe issues. Otherwise, however, the citizens are free to live, love, work, vote, and prosper as they please. Houses The Cassini Republic The Cassini Republic is, of course, based in and around the Cassini Crater. Originally settled by the New Commonwealth and Italy, its official and common language is Himasi, a creole language of British and Swahili shared with the nation of Pajua. Its population is 69 million. Etxena Etxena is the largest settlement of Basques anywhere in the Human Imperium; its language is, of course, Modern Basque. Its population is 72 million. Huoguo The last bastion of Neo-Communism within the Solar System, Huoguo used to be run in the manner of a military dictatorship, before a planetary war and interference from Imperium Operatives brought in a more measured government. Allowed to develop along fully communal as opposed to communist lines, Huoguo has become an artist's retreat, with different media styles abounding. The major language is Huoyu, a creole of Mandarin, Russian, and Korean. Its population is 74 million.Category:Human Planets